Customs clearance and cargo pick-up at the Port of Cotonou were due to run seven days a week, including public holidays, from October 24, customs director general Raouf Malèhossou said, according to Bénin Web TV. The port's cargo traffic rose 16.6% in the first half of 2026 from a year earlier to 7.8mn metric tons, the French Treasury's regional brief said, citing finance ministry data.
Analysis: Transshipment rose 152.1% to 516,000 tons in the first half. Extending clearance operations through weekends could reduce delays, storage costs and demurrage for importers and freight forwarders. Benefits depend on weekend staffing by banks, inspectors and cargo handlers. No target for cargo dwell times has been announced, and the first weekend of continuous operations on October 24-25 had not yet been assessed publicly. Results are not yet measurable.
Source: Direction générale du Trésor (France), SER Abidjan, DG Trésor (France), SER Abidjan, Brèves économiques Afrique de l'Ouest N°645, H1 2026; Direction générale du Trésor (France), SER Abidjan, MEF data via DG Trésor (France) Brèves économiques Afrique de l'Ouest N°645, H1 2026; Direction générale du Trésor (France), SER Abidjan, DG Trésor Brèves économiques N°645 (citing MEF), H1 2026; Various, DGB budget execution report (via Ecofin Agency), H1 2025; Bénin Web TV, Announcement by customs director general Raouf Malèhossou, as reported by Bénin Web TV (22 Oct 2026), From 24 October 2026